Bernadette Bogertey-Harvey says she will not be getting any sleep tonight, because the ‘Bike Madea’ can’t wait until Saturday, when The Healthy Child & Adolescent Network is scheduled to give away 2,000 bicycles along with tricycles and scooters to underprivileged children ages 1-15 from 8 a.m.-3 p.m. at the nonprofit’s 786 Blue St. warehouse. “I’m very excited,” says Bogertey-Harvey, 71, who in 2023 took over the annual “Bicycle Man” benevolence started by the late Moses Mathis some 35 years ago. And best about Saturday, Bogertey-Harvey says, is watching youngsters select the bikes, tricycles and scooters. “The part that warms my heart more than anything is the kids pick out the bikes that warms their heart. No parents, she says, are allowed on the floor.” Bogertey-Harvey says 300 bikes were given away in 2023 and 600 bikes and tricycles in 2024. Bogertey-Harvey says some bikes, tricycles and scooters are new and others are refurbished, thanks to donations from people in this community, Durham, Goldsboro and Bald Head Island Country Club. “It makes me feel good,” Bogertey-Harvey says. “It makes me feel like I’m honoring Moses. It was his vision, and I feel like I’m holding true to the legacy of the program. I’m just grateful the community is still supporting it.”
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City Manager Douglas J. Hewett says that although Diamond Baseball Holdings has acquired ownership of the Fayetteville Woodpeckers, the Minor League affiliate of the Houston Astros, it isn’t going anywhere. “Change in ownership does not mean change in commitment,” Hewett said in a news release. “Our community can be confident that baseball in Fayetteville is here to stay. The Astros will remain our Major League partner on the field, and Diamond Baseball Holdings will bring additional stability and resources off the field, all while preserving the local traditions and game-day experience that fans love.” Good news for Woodpeckers fans.
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Fayetteville Mayor Pro Tem Derrick Thompson says being at Fayetteville Regional Airport on December 6 and seeing Gold Star parents and their children depart on the annual Snowball Express for Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla., is an experience to remember. “I saw joy, appreciation, remembrance and respect,” Thompson said about the 65 Gold Star family members before their departure. “It was awesome. It was my third year of doing it. As I was talking to them, I told them they never will be forgotten. I was speaking to the crowd, and one lady started crying, and I said, ‘Ma’am, please don’t cry or you will make me cry.’ I turned my back and started crying, and then Mr. LaGala (Airport director Andrew LaGala) started to cry.” A retired Army veteran of 22 years, Thompson said the sponsoring Gary Sinise Foundation makes a difference in the lives of surviving spouses and their children of military men and women who have given their lives for a nation’s freedom. “His heart is in the right place,” Thompson said about Sinise, the Hollywood actor, producer and director known for his support of the U.S. military. “They are the heroes who have given the ultimate sacrifice, and I was honored to be there. And I will be there even when I’m no longer on the City Council.”
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Amy Sparks has her fingers crossed that the recent Cumberland Community Foundation’s Giving Tuesday campaign will help The School of Hope for autistic children (circa 2017), 111 Burns St., fund $25,000 for a new elementary building, which Sparks says will open in the spring of 2026. “After we get the elementary building put together, we are planning to build a new gymnasium and have a life center for our students so that we can do job training to help them obtain jobs for the future,” says Sparks, who started the school in honor and memory of her autistic son, Jarred Bryan Sparks, who died at age 19 on June 10, 2011. “It is in my blood, and I have to finish what I started. Jarred would want this for all the kids.” Many of us in this community are crossing our fingers, too, because Amy Sparks and her husband, Rob, have put their hearts into making a profound difference in the lives of our autistic youth in this community and beyond.
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Judy Musgrave was the unanimous choice of board members to serve as chair for 2006 at Tuesday’s Cumberland County Board of Education meeting, according to a news release from the school system. Jacquelyn Brown was voted as vice-chair. Musgrave and Brown will serve one-year terms.
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Latreicia Allen of John Griffin Middle School has been named Sandhills Regional Principal of the Year, according to a news release. Allen advances to represent the Sandhills region as she competes for the 2026 Wells Fargo North Carolina Principal of the Year.
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Katelyn Lovette will become principal at Brentwood Elementary School, according to a news release. Lovette began her career in education in 2014 as a teacher at Rockfish Elementary School and currently is assistant principal at Sunnyside Elementary School. Lovette recently was selected as the 2026 Assistant Principal of the Year for Cumberland County Schools.
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Thirteen days left to get your Christmas shopping done, when old Saint Nick embarks on his annual midnight ride.
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There’s plenty of Christmas spirit downtown, and Elaine Kelley with the Downtown Alliance, says there will be a “sea of elves” after Saturday’s 26th Annual Fayetteville Rotary Club Christmas Parade, which is scheduled for 10 a.m., when the Fayetteville Woodpeckers Minor League baseball team is welcoming those dressed in elf attire to celebrate the holiday season throughout the day at Segra Stadium. Visitors, Kelley says, will receive a complimentary ticket to enjoy the holiday lights at the stadium for later in the evening and any night through December. Elf attire is a hat, ears or a red or green shirt, and if you plan to attend, remember the clear-bag policy.
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What is Christmas without cookies? “Our cookie walk is a missions project that Hay Street United Methodist Women are very proud and excited to host,” Jacqueline McCloud says about the downtown church’s annual Christmas Cookie Walk, which is scheduled from 10 a.m.-noon Saturday at the fellowship hall at 320 Hay St. “Iced sugar cookies are the No. 1 seller.” McCloud says you also can choose from chocolate chip, peanut butter, fudge and specialty cookies such as English Tea, Moravian Ginger, Orange Slice, Martha Washington cookies, Kris Kringle cookies and more. Boxes are $15 each, and all proceeds are dedicated to church mission projects. Mama always left cookies and milk each Christmas Eve for Santa Claus, and the jolly fat man expected nothing less.
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“We ran out of tickets for each service and had a full house each time,” Sara Barefoot, worship ministry assistant, says about The Singing Christmas worship services held December 4-7 at Snyder Memorial Baptist Church on Westmont Drive in Haymount. “Local food bank total to date is $16,254.56. We are so thankful to be able to help replenish these food banks, especially in the wake of the government furloughs, which put a strain on these organizations’ stock.” That’s something to sing about, too.
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You read previously about the Bike Madea’s bicycle benevolence, and I would be remiss not to mention those surprised Lucile Souders Elementary School third graders who on December 4 received 58 brand-spanking-new bikes for Christmas, and you can thank Dennis Walters and his Old Fayetteville Insurance & Financial Insurance Services for its sponsorship of the Bikes for Kids National Foundation, which was co-founded by the late Meadowlark Lemon of the Harlem Globetrotters fame. Dennis Walters is the Gray’s Creek resident with a humble and giving heart when it comes to being there for others.
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“I enjoyed your article about the Christmas parade in downtown Fayetteville,” Dr. Hank Parfitt, a downtown business owner, writes in an email about our CityView column of December 10, referencing the 26th Annual Fayetteville Rotary Club Christmas Parade, which is scheduled for 10 a.m. Saturday along Person Street starting at Liberty Point and Hay Street. “It is a little-known fact that in 1999, the Downtown Alliance, which was just formed that year and incorporated the next, brought back the Christmas parade after it had been long absent. The Rotary Club picked it up in year 2000 and it has grown ever since. In 1999, the parade consisted of three vehicles – a police car, my 84 Olds convertible and an old fire engine with J.L. Dawkins’ granddaughters and Steven Wheeler’s children who rode atop the boot of my convertible. After the parade, Santa set up at Horne’s restaurant, which Margarete Dunn offered as a place for him to take requests and hand out candy canes. All of us downtown applaud the Rotary Club for hosting the parade and doing such a magnificent job year after year. I like to think that perhaps our tiny little parade was the spark that lit the flame.”
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You may just wish to take a break from your holiday shopping and social gatherings to take in “Brian Whitted’s Very Merry Christmas,” which is scheduled for 7 p.m. on December 15 at 1707 Owen Drive in what once was the Holiday Inn Bordeaux Convention Center. Whitted is the acclaimed music director for Broadway’s run of Chicago, and Whitted and The Very Merries are bringing a high-energy, one-night-only holiday evening of song to the theatre. Whitted and The Very Merries ladies will have you in the Christmas spirit for sure. Tickets are $31and $35. Season ticketholders may use their season tickets for this performance, according to Mary Kate Burke, the theatre’s artistic director. Visit CFRT.org online or call the box office at (910) 323-4233.
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With 25 years’ experience, Tufanna L. Bradley is the latest assistant manager for Cumberland County. “Her commitment to collaboration and innovation aligns with our mission and strategic priorities,” County Manager Clarence Grier said in a news release. “I look forward to working with her as we continue strengthening the services we provide to our residents.” Bradley begins December 15 after seven years with New Hanover County, where she was assistant county manager and director of human services. Bradley holds a B.A. of Arts in Communications from East Carolina University and a Master of Public Administration from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington.
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Michael “Mike” Berk is the new chief executive officer for Longleaf Pine REALTORS. “Mike stood out for his depth of REALTORS association experience and his passion for strengthening member value,” David Zeitz, president of Longleaf Pine REALTORS, said in a news release. “He understands the unique challenges and opportunities facing our profession and will be an exceptional partner in advancing our mission across southeastern North Carolina.” Berk recently worked as executive director of Lancaster County Association of REALTORS in Pennsylvania. Longleaf Pine REALTORS, according to the release, represents more than 2,400 members throughout Cumberland, Harnett, Hoke, Scotland and Robeson counties.
Coming Sunday: “Giving Tuesday 2025 once again showed us the generosity of people.”
Bill Kirby Jr. can be reached at billkirby49@gmail.com or 910-624-1961.
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